F1 Japanese Grand Prix – Start time, starting grid, how to watch, & more

The world champion led a Red Bull 1-2 in qualifying with a dominant display as he looks to bounce back from retiring from the Australian GP due to a brake issue.

McLaren’s Lando Norris was Red Bull’s closest challenger, 0.292s off pole, and he will line up third on the grid for Sunday’s race in Suzuka.

Australian GP winner Carlos Sainz claimed fourth for Ferrari ahead of fellow Spaniard Fernando Alonso in fifth for Aston Martin and the second McLaren of Oscar Piastri in sixth.

Lewis Hamilton led the Mercedes charge down in seventh with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc eighth after the Ferrari driver completed just one run in Q3 having lost a set of soft tyres due to a poor lap in the first part of qualifying.

George Russell will start from ninth for Mercedes as home hero Yuki Tsunoda sneaked into the top 10 at the expense of his RB team-mate Daniel Ricciardo.

Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll was the biggest disappointment in qualifying as he was knocked out in Q1 and will start in 16th.

When is the F1 Japanese Grand Prix?

• Date: Sunday 7 April 2024
• Start time: 2pm local time/6am BST

The fourth round of the 2024 F1 season, the Japanese GP, gets under way at 2pm local time on Sunday 7 April.

Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team, is interviewed in Parc Ferme (Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images)

How can I watch Formula 1?

In the United Kingdom, Formula 1 is broadcast live on Sky Sports, with highlights shown on Channel 4 several hours after the race has finished. Live streaming through NOW is also available in the UK.

Sky Sports F1, which broadcasts the F1 races, can be added as part of the Sky Sports channels which costs £18 a month for new customers. Sky Sports can also be accessed through NOW with a one-off day payment of £11.99 or a monthly membership of £34.99 per month.

How can I watch the F1 Japanese GP?

In the United Kingdom, Sky Sports will be live broadcasting the Japanese GP.

The race will be shown live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event, with pre-race coverage starting at 5:00am BST, ahead of the race start at 6:00am BST.

• Channels: Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event
• Start time: 5:00am BST, Sunday 7 April 2024

Autosport will be running a live text coverage of the Japanese GP here.

When can I watch the F1 Japanese GP highlights?

In the United Kingdom, Channel 4 is broadcasting highlights of the Japanese GP at 12:30pm GMT on Sunday. The full programme will run for two and a half hours, covering the pre-race, the race highlights and the initial post-race reaction to wrap up the major talking points of the race weekend.

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24 and Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24 (Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images)

For the entire 2024 F1 season, Channel 4 will broadcast highlights of every qualifying and race of each event. The highlights will also be available on Channel 4’s on-demand catch-up services.

• Channel: Channel 4 
• Start time: 12:30pm BST, Sunday 7 April 2024

Will the F1 Japanese GP be on the radio? 

Live radio coverage of every practice, qualifying and race for the 2024 F1 season will be available on the BBC Radio 5 Live, 5 Live Sports Extra stations, the BBC Sounds app and via the BBC Sport website.

Live coverage of the Japanese GP will start at 5:45am BST on BBC 5 Live and on the BBC Sounds app.

Weather forecast for the F1 Japanese GP

Current weather forecasts predict sunny, dry and warm conditions in Suzuka, with low winds and a very small chance of rain. The temperature is expected to be 23 degrees Celsius for the start of the race.

How many laps is the F1 Japanese GP?

The race is scheduled to complete 53 laps of the Suzuka circuit, covering a total race distance of 307.471km.

F1 Japanese GP starting grid

Main Information Additional Data Driver Info

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Main Information Additional Data 1  -  2
Cla	Driver	#		Chassis	Engine	Time	km/h
1	M. Verstappen Red Bull Racing	1		Red Bull	Red Bull	1'28.197	237.028
2	S. Perez Red Bull Racing	11		Red Bull	Red Bull	+0.066 1'28.263	236.851
3	L. Norris McLaren	4		McLaren	Mercedes	+0.292 1'28.489	236.246
4	C. Sainz Ferrari	55		Ferrari	Ferrari	+0.485 1'28.682	235.732
5	F. Alonso Aston Martin Racing	14		Aston Martin	Mercedes	+0.489 1'28.686	235.721
6	O. Piastri McLaren	81		McLaren	Mercedes	+0.563 1'28.760	235.525
7	L. Hamilton Mercedes	44		Mercedes	Mercedes	+0.569 1'28.766	235.509
8	C. Leclerc Ferrari	16		Ferrari	Ferrari	+0.589 1'28.786	235.456
9	G. Russell Mercedes	63		Mercedes	Mercedes	+0.811 1'29.008	234.868
10	Y. Tsunoda RB	22		RB	Red Bull	+1.216 1'29.413	233.804
11	D. Ricciardo RB	3		RB	Red Bull	+1.275 1'29.472	233.650
12	N. Hulkenberg Haas F1 Team	27		Haas	Ferrari	+1.297 1'29.494	233.593
13	V. Bottas Sauber	77		Sauber	Ferrari	+1.396 1'29.593	233.335
14	A. Albon Williams	23		Williams	Mercedes	+1.517 1'29.714	233.020
15	E. Ocon Alpine	31		Alpine	Renault	+1.619 1'29.816	232.755
16	L. Stroll Aston Martin Racing	18		Aston Martin	Mercedes	+1.827 1'30.024	232.218
17	P. Gasly Alpine	10		Alpine	Renault	+1.922 1'30.119	231.973
18	K. Magnussen Haas F1 Team	20		Haas	Ferrari	+1.934 1'30.131	231.942
19	L. Sargeant Williams	2		Williams	Mercedes	+1.942 1'30.139	231.921
20	Z. Guanyu Sauber	24		Sauber	Ferrari	+1.946 1'30.143	231.911
View full results